Where Her Heart May Lie
by signelchan
Summary: Cordelia's been in love with Chrom forever, but Chrom's never loved her and never will. That doesn't stop her from wishing, even when there's someone meant for her standing at her side, or when the future child representative of their love comes to the past to set things straight.


_one_

Cordelia watches the ceremony from the side, her eyes focused exclusively on the groom standing tall at the altar, waiting for his bride to make her way down the aisle. Next to her someone weeps, their heart shattered that they weren't the one the prince was ceremoniously becoming wedded to. She feels like joining in on the crying, but the brave warrior heart within her keeps the tears from falling.

She loves Chrom, but Chrom only loves that tactician woman, and that's how it's going to be.

 _two_

When the birth of the princess is announced, to great fanfare and celebration, Cordelia finds herself unable to share in the joy of the moment. While she likes to believe she's gotten over her feelings of unrequited love, there is something about how this news sweeps through Ylisstol that shatters her already-broken heart. That baby should have been hers. She should have been the one to marry Chrom and bear his child.

 _three_

Life isn't fair, and Cordelia knows this all too well, but couldn't she get at least one good thing in her life?

 _four_

Somewhere on the way to Port Ferox, the band of Shepherds pulled together once more, Cordelia looks beside her pegasus to see a candy-munching thief walking alongside. She ignores his presence entirely, focusing more on the way Chrom is leading them through permanently cold mountains and icy passes; there is no doubt that his mind and heart are focused elsewhere, something she can't help but want to help him out with. But she's just a soldier under his command, she doesn't have the ability to soothe his broken heart—which is fitting, as he would never use his ability to soothe hers.

 _five_

Cordelia notices that the thief is spending a lot more time beside her, but she pays it no mind. If he wants to surround himself with someone who is interested in no one but Chrom, so be it.

 _six_

He's by her side for everything now, she realizes, from when they march to when they're in the heat of battle. It's not a conscious choice on his part, she's sure, but rather a strategic decision made by that tactician woman. Just the thought of her, with her pale pigtails and her face that Chrom occasionally pecks with kisses and her agile body that no one can tell had recently carried the princess of Ylisse within, every little thing brings a sour taste to Cordelia's mouth; while she's brooding over that woman, an archer takes aim at the pegasus she's riding.

The arrow never connects, deflected by the blade of that thief—and he looks at her after having decapitated the archer, sweat beading on the sides of his face. "That enough to make you respect me, Wings?" he asks, wiping his brow. "Could have lost your life there if it weren't for me."

She nods, letting her pegasus rest on the ground so she can collect herself. "And for that, I thank you." The thief pouts and asks her if she even knows his name, to which she freezes and realizes she doesn't. He may be her hero, but the only name coming to mind is Chrom's.

 _seven_

His name is Gaius. And she is now in debt to him.

 _eight_

A debt like saving one's life is a debt that's hard to repay, but Cordelia does it by turning the tables and saving his life instead. Cornered by Risen with a death wish on an island, the Shepherds had been faring fairly well on their own, until the presence of fighters on pegasus-back garnered the attention of snipers intent on killing. But rather than drawing their bows on the winged units, they turn their attention to everyone flanking them.

Cordelia is too busy impaling everything she can with her lance to see the first arrow lodge itself deep into Gaius' shoulder, but she does hear the exclamation of pain he gives in response, his blade hitting the ground beneath them. His hand grabbing the arrow and pulling it out, he stumbles forward a few steps right as the archer shoots again, the very tip of the second arrow grazing his cheek as it passes by. He's in bad shape, but even still, when Cordelia lands next to him and offers him assistance, he refuses it. "No can do, Wings. You aren't dying to help this criminal."

She ignores him, pulling a javelin from her saddlebag and lobbing it at the archer. It's not enough to stop him, but it is enough of a distraction to give them a few moments to figure out what to do next. "You've saved my life before," she says, voice unwavering, "and now I shall return the favor."

"Return the favor by getting us both killed?" He sounds like he's in disbelief, but with blood dripping from the cut on his cheek and pouring from the wound in his shoulder he finally concedes to her point. "Okay, but if you die, I'm following. Your choice on losing two lives versus one." He climbs onto her pegasus, but not before picking his sword up off the ground as to not leave it behind. Once he's sitting comfortably, his arms wrapped around her (allowing her to tell that this great, strong thief is trembling), she has her pegasus soar into the dark sky, attracting the attention of all the archers, arrows flinging at them from all sides.

It's a risky move, but it has its benefits; up above, she's able to maneuver around each of the enemy projectiles while throwing her own javelins in retaliation, never missing her mark. Once the area is cleared, she makes a beeline for the healers, knowing that they need to save Gaius while they can.

He makes a full recovery from the nastier of those two injuries, but the memory of him holding her so tightly while unsure of his survival takes ages to fade.

 _nine_

There is no longer a debt to be paid, but Cordelia thinks she'll be letting Gaius hang around as much as he likes, even when not in battle.

He's no Chrom, but he appreciates her.

 _ten_

There are time travelling children from the future. It's a revelation that takes everyone by surprise—does this mean everyone has a child who has come back in time to fight alongside them, or is it just Chrom and the tactician? The grown version of the princess hints at the former idea, but gives no specifics.

All the talk amongst the Shepherds for days is about the prospect of meeting their future children. For the uncommitted and single ladies, this is simultaneously exciting and terrifying. What if the child is like their father that they may not be attached to currently?

As bad of a thought it is, Cordelia hopes that her possible child has the hereditary blue hair of the royal family.

 _eleven_

While preparing to take on the Valmese navy, the Shepherds stumble upon several out of the way locations where fighting has broken out, and in these places they find foreign warriors who recognize some of their own. Future children. None of them really matter to Cordelia as they have no attachment to her, but when she sees some of these kids finding their parents in brash warriors who never pay any attention to romantic pursuits, the reality of her possibly actually finding her own future offspring hits her harder.

 _twelve_

Another child sired by Chrom and birthed by that foul tactician woman. He seems overjoyed at the prospect of having two kids; she seems surprised but accepts the child into her arms.

That night, Cordelia weeps in her tent about how it should be her giving Chrom these kids.

 _thirteen_

The Shepherds come to a bandit's hideout on one of their last days before taking on the navy. Already prepared for doing some deception and raiding, they quickly spring into action to take the place down, but find themselves instead protecting a stubborn warrior girl with long orange pigtails trailing behind her. The girl feels oddly familiar to Cordelia, but feels completely foreign at the same time, which puts her at unease until she gets a chance to talk to and find anything out about her.

After the hideout is raided and peace restored, Cordelia approaches the girl, who scowls at her mere presence. "I wanted to thank you for your assistance in today's raid," she says, holding out a hand for shaking that the girl completely disregards. She doesn't take it as an insult, as the raid would have been much easier had this girl not insisted on doing her own things, but the thanks had been all in the spirit of politeness. "All of us Shepherds, specifically our fair leader Chrom—"

"It's always _Chrom_ with you, isn't it?" the girl spits, cutting Cordelia off entirely. "Ugh, I come back in time to find you and that's how you start, talking about him? What a waste."

"You came back to find me?" Repeating what the girl just said, Cordelia gives her a once over, trying to see if she can see any resemblance to herself in her, an impossible task as the only defining feature this girl has is that bright orange hair. "Why would you choose to do such a thing?"

The girl scoffs, turning her head away. "Not like it actually matters to you, but because I had to make you pay for the promise you broke. You died protecting what you loved, but you died for Chrom! Not for me!" She sniffles, and Cordelia watches her wipe a tear away from her eye. "I had to come back to make sure you didn't make that mistake again."

Cordelia wouldn't ever consider giving her life for her leader a bad thing, so she tilts her head to the side and stares at the girl, waiting for an explanation that is most likely never coming. "I'm sorry, but you must have me confused with someone else," she says, earning the wrath of the girl's tearful glare. "Perhaps I could help you find who you are looking for, though. Do you know their name?"

Rather than answering the question, the girl sticks her hand into her pocket and pulls it out with a ring between her fingers, shoving the golden trinket into Cordelia's line of sight. "Does this even mean anything to you?" the girl asks, her tone offended. "I've been carrying _your_ ring with me since you died so I could prove to you that I'm yours and it just doesn't matter, does it?"

Cordelia sees that the girl is actively blinking back tears despite how angry she is, which brings a tear or two to her own eyes. "I'm so sorry," she whispers, to which the girl dramatically sighs, pulling her hand back and letting it rest in front of her, "I just don't understand. I have no ring nor do I have a child…"

"What's going on over here, Wings?" It's Gaius, coming over to see what's taking Cordelia so long with the thank you, as the group is eager to get moving. He stops dead in his tracks when he sees the two women standing so close together, tears in both of their eyes. "Okay, seriously, what's going on?"

The girl's attention lapses from glaring down Cordelia to staring at Gaius, eyes widening as she begins running her free hand through one of her pigtails. "Why don't you use your eyes and figure that one out for yourself?" she replies, to which Gaius raises an eyebrow, staring at her as she visibly tenses and shrinks back slightly.

His eyes flicker down to where her other hand rests, the slight glimmer of the ring catching his attention; he seems concerned at first, patting down his own pocket, but once he finds whatever he's looking for, he relaxes and laughs, looking back to the girl's face. "You're one of those future kids, aren't you?" he asks, stepping a bit closer to her as she gives a small nod, a few strands of her orange hair bouncing into her face. "Nice hair, by the way," he adds, taking his hand up to his own head. "Looks real nice on you."

"Thanks," the girl replies, continuing to play with her pigtail. "I got it from my father." The way she says it, like it's no big deal, catches Gaius off guard and he steps back a bit in the shock of what he's heard, before laughing. The girl smiles, eyes beginning to shine once more with tears, and she adds, "Gods, didn't take you long at all to get it."

Gaius laughs again, looking at Cordelia to see what her reaction is; she's putting two-and-two together but not accepting what's standing before her for what it is. "Looks like we've got ourselves a little girl to watch out for," he says, nudging Cordelia with his elbow, and while the girl seems happy to hear it, Cordelia feels a sense of overwhelming disgust at herself for what had to happen to cause all this.

 _fourteen_

Her name is Severa, and she is definitive proof that Cordelia will never get with Chrom.

 _fifteen_

Gaius is rather overjoyed that he has a future child to call his own. He spends a fair amount of time over the next few weeks (during which the attack on Valm is in full swing) talking to the other men about how great it is to know, thanks to divine intervention, that he'll have a child someday. As more of those men find that they too end up with kids, he tones down his excitement, turning instead to talk about Severa's existence with her future mother.

But Cordelia is so torn over her and the things she's learned thanks to her appearance in this world that the conversations fall flat.

 _sixteen_

The children came to the past for two reasons: to save their parents and to stop Grima from destroying the world. In a cruel twist of fate, the threat they came to stop happened to be the very woman that Chrom had chosen to marry. This revelation, one that came with much shock and horror, hits Cordelia with a lot less force than it has hit the others. She's never liked that tactician woman, and now she has a solid, public reason for it.

And when fair, kind Robin sacrifices herself to quell Grima's reign of terror, the first thing Cordelia thinks is that she now has a chance to make Chrom hers. This thought is immediately pushed aside when she feels an arm grab her tight, and she sees Gaius holding her next to him. Of course the tactician had caused for this to happen before she died. It couldn't have been planned any other way.

 _seventeen_

Ylisse as a whole falls into a state of mourning after Grima's defeat. Not even the first large weddings of the heroes of war are a distraction from the overwhelming sadness left in the wake of Robin's sacrificial death, because it's clear that their Exalt cannot get over having lost his wife to celebrate his friends. His sadness doesn't stop his Shepherds from trying to find happiness in the moment, though—which is why, months later, Gaius finally asks Cordelia to marry him with a ring identical to the one Severa carries with her.

She hesitantly accepts the proposal, because she knows her heart wants Chrom but her mind is aware she won't get him. Her place in the world, as deemed by the future timeline, is to be with this criminal, and there is no arguing against it.

 _eighteen_

When Severa finds out her past parents are actually getting together, she puts on a fake smile and pretends to be happy for them. Behind closed doors, she rolls her eyes and complains about how her dearest father is only setting himself up for a lifetime of never being good enough for Cordelia's heart. It takes a few moments for her to realize that this means she gets to exist in this timeline, and once that reality sinks in, she's even more opposed to her past parents getting married.

She feels compelled to do something to prevent every terrible thing from happening, but she is at a loss for what to do.

 _nineteen_

Six months to the day after Grima's defeat, word travels through Ylisse that the wife of the Exalt has been found. No one believes it until a parade runs through the center of Ylisstol with the entirety of the royal family—Chrom, Robin, both versions of the princess, the other child in that family, plus Lissa and her family—as prominent figures. They finish on the steps of the castle, Chrom sweeping his wife off her feet and into a deep kiss for everyone to see.

The people finally find it within themselves to celebrate, now that their leader's love is back.

 _twenty_

On the occasion of the princess' birthday, the infant version of her reaching a year old, Chrom calls for the whole of the Shepherds to the castle to be present for the festivities. Cordelia very nearly rejects the offer, but Gaius convinces her to go anyway, telling her that her presence would keep him from breaking any laws. With them both attending, Severa decides she will go as well, not to see the baby but to be there for the older Lucina on the day of her birth.

The family shows up a day early, finding out that most everyone else has done the same. It's a moment of getting to reconnect with old friends and comrades, finding out the specifics of who has done what in the time since the war ended. The list of Shepherds who have gotten married to their wartime loves in that time is long, so long that Gaius (correctly, at that) claims that he and Cordelia must be the only ones left not bound in a state of matrimony.

Severa fears that she's run out of time to stop them from making that mistake, and so she mentally concocts a plan to keep it from happening. She knows just how in love with her mother her father was, and she knows how in love with Chrom her mother was; why would these versions be any different? There's just no way that this timeline's iteration of her father could have stolen Cordelia's heart from pining for Chrom.

But in the castle in Ylisstol, surrounded by friends, there is no place for stopping anything, because there is no time for anything to happen. This visit is strictly for honoring both version of Lucina on her birthday, although by the way people seem to keep disappearing into the depths of the castle, there are other things that people have in mind for this time. Every time her parents go off on their own, Severa waits anxiously for their return, and every time they come back with mussed hair and wrinkled clothes, her heart drops.

For now, her mother seems happy, but it's most likely a façade rather than genuine joy. And Severa will do whatever it takes to keep her from living that lie for the rest of her life.

 _twenty-one_

Going back into the swing of regular life after the celebration is a lot easier than anyone expects, even though the lap of luxury is greatly missed. Gaius flaunts a few small knick-knacks he took from the castle, much to Cordelia's displeasure, and she recovers them from him, telling him that she will take them back herself because she cannot ever forgive such petty thievery.

It gives Severa an idea that seamlessly fits into her plan to separate her parents.

 _twenty-two_

"Father, I need you to do something for me," Severa sweetly says, waving a bag of candy in front of Gaius. "You, me, and the wonderful bonding that is learning to steal. Sound like a plan?" He makes motions to grab the bag from her and she pulls it away. "Not until you agree to help your daughter out," she chides, and he gives into her demand, if only for the candy.

 _twenty-three_

It starts with learning to sneak. Severa has never been one for creeping around places without drawing attention to herself, so learning to become light on her feet is a harder task than she figured it would be. No matter how hard she tries, her steps are heavy on the ground and Gaius calls her out on it each time. "You're never going to be a good thief if you're going to be like this," he says, his mouth full of candy. "You've got to really want it."

 _twenty-four_

How bad does Severa want it? Bad enough to be tossing all her pocket change to procuring candies to bribe Gaius with. Her skills don't get better quickly, despite how badly she would like them to, but her training has enough of an effect that Cordelia begins to notice something is going on and she feels compelled to ask about it.

"Oh, Sev's just learning to be more like her dad," Gaius tells her, hiding the candy he's been given in one of the folds of his clothes. "Family bonding time. You should join us."

But when Cordelia does tag along and sees that Severa is attempting to learn skills for being a thief, she is not pleased in the slightest. She says nothing of it to either of them, having accepted that this is the life she's agreed to by being with Gaius, but when she finds a moment to sit and reflect on the situation, her eyes fill with tears but she does not cry. There is no use in being sad over this, because there is nothing that can be done.

 _twenty-five_

If only Cordelia could have been with Chrom, then her children wouldn't try to become dirty thieves.

 _twenty-six_

Severa can't help but find it funny that her mom has taken so much offense to what's going on. It's just some harmless learning how to become like her father; if Gaius and Cordelia actually did get married, it would just happen again in the future! Why get upset about it, but be setting the stage for it to only happen again?

 _twenty-seven_

As Queen Consort of Ylisse, Cordelia would have been the most loving of wives to the Exalt, standing by his side through good times and bad. She would have loved to bear his children—what would those babies have been like? Would it be Lucina and that other child, or would Severa exist, or would it be entirely different, perfect children?

Why couldn't Chrom have loved her so that they would find out?

 _twenty-eight_

"Wings, is there something wrong? You've been distant since you came and watched me and Severa." There's a hint of worry in Gaius' voice as he asks Cordelia the question that's been on his mind. She doesn't answer, instead remaining lost in her thoughts, and he sighs, putting his arms around her to remind her how much he loves her. "C'mon Cordelia, you've got to talk to me if you've got problems."

Her response comes as she leans into his shoulder, memories of the time he was hit by an arrow in that very spot flooding her mind. "I'm in love with a thief," she chokes out, sending shivers down his spine at how raw she sounds, "and he's going to corrupt my child with that sort of behavior."

 _twenty-nine_

Severa isn't sure why her dad isn't accepting her candy anymore, nor why he's refusing to show her more about the thief life. Then she sees him cuddling up close to Cordelia's side and everything makes sense. She got to him.

 _thirty_

The invitations get sent out days later, beautifully handwritten notes informing their recipients of the upcoming nuptials between Gaius and Cordelia. The only person of the family genuinely excited about this is Gaius, as Cordelia is only going through with it because she feels she _has_ to, and Severa knows this is only going to hurt her father. Yet no matter what she says to him, there's nothing that can be done with the invites having been sent. After all, they can't take back what's been done, no matter how much Severa begs and pleads for it.

She just can't let him suffer in a second timeline.

 _thirty-one_

Gaius hears what Severa's saying, but he's unable to see what she means; how could someone as dedicated and loving as Cordelia cause him nothing but suffering in the end? He isn't buying it, and that's why he's going through the motions and routines to ensure he's lawfully going to be with Cordelia forever.

Him, a thief, respecting the law. Cordelia has _really_ rubbed off on him.

 _thirty-two_

Never one for tactics, preferring the back of a pegasus to on-foot action, Cordelia wonders if that's why Chrom chose Robin over her. Did he need a logical thinker by his side, rather than a talented knight who loved him with her whole heart?

She goes to sleep every night imagining that it's Chrom who wraps his arms around her, instead of Gaius.

 _thirty-three_

Without her father's help, Severa decides to keep up her training to become a thief, to disastrous results. Her footsteps aren't getting any lighter, and she's not becoming more nimble, instead only gaining frustration towards the endeavor. How can she be the child of such a great thief if she can't even sneak through bushes?

"This is so stupid!" she cries, kicking at a nearby tree. "Come back in time to make everyone happy, and I can't even do that right! Gods, I am the worst daughter ever!"

"I happen to think you're just fine." The voice catches her off guard, because she's certain there's no one else out there aside from her, until she sees crumbs falling from the upper branches of a tree. How long has he been there watching her failures?

That's the question she asks him, more or less. "And when were you to inform me that you were out here, leering at me as I failed with what skills you should have passed down?"

"I was going to let you know once you gave me a reason to," he answers, beginning to descend down through the branches to meet her on the ground. "You know, it shows real dedication to your cause when you keep at it without help. I think you're doing fine."

"You only say that because, as my father, you're obligated to," she says, turning her head to ignore his eyes once he's on equal footing with her. "An even then, you're not really my father, so why bother?"

He responds first by grabbing one of her long pigtails and tugging on it. "Because," he then says, giving her hair another tug, "you're still some me's kid. This hair color isn't exactly common, you know. You having it just means that I've got to be there for you, always and forever, no matter what."

"So you care more about my hair than me?" The words are joined by a sob as she hides her face in the crook of her arm. "That's the single worst thing anyone's ever said to me!"

"Well it's a damn good thing that I didn't say that, huh, Sev? Your hair proves you're my kid, and even though you're not _my_ kid, I'm still gonna love you like you are." He lets her hair fall through his fingers. "And I'm going to love your mom too so that we can someday have our own—"

"No, don't say that!" She doesn't move her arm because she's beginning to tear up and she doesn't want him seeing that. "You should love her because of her, not because of me."

She hears him give a soft "oh" in response and for a split second she wonders if she should have kept her big mouth shut. But before she can start mentally berating herself, he speaks. "I've loved Cordelia for a longer time than you'd think. Since before she even knew my name, really. Since before we knew you existed. So I do love her because of her. You're just an added perk."

She bites her tongue and refrains from ruining his mushy comments by bringing up negative things. Why purposely put a damper on his romantic thoughts? "Now why don't we get back to teaching you what you clearly want to learn?" he asks, taking their conversation out of the romantic territory himself. "If you can get the hang of this thief thing, I've got a bit of a task for you."

 _thirty-four_

In accordance with his newfound respect of following laws and rules, Gaius needs someone capable of spying to follow Cordelia around as she makes her preparations for the wedding. Severa would love to list a million reasons why she is the worst person to assign that task to, but she knows doing that is a bad idea. Besides, all her father wants is to know is what Cordelia's doing—he doesn't want anything more than that. No interfering, no stealing, and definitely no getting caught.

It's a tall order, seeing as Severa can barely hide behind a tree without causing a scene, buy they have time to prepare. He's confident in her abilities, although she has doubts on how well she'll do, knowing her desire to sabotage everything.

 _thirty-five_

When she's not spending time with Gaius discussing their wedding, Cordelia likes to take the time to visit with the only other person as hurt by Chrom not picking them as she is. Sumia's a kind soul and an understanding companion, and the two of them spend a lot of time just talking about how one of them should be married to Chrom, instead of who he picked. Even still, it's only Cordelia who's still truly torn up over that decision of his, as Sumia had accepted it right away and found someone else to become tied to. And, even though Sumia had felt so strongly about Chrom, she doesn't feel like her husband was a simple replacement for him.

Cordelia hopes that, someday, she'll be able to see Gaius as her soulmate and not the alternative to Chrom.

 _thirty-six_

Lying in bed, an arm wrapped over her and a messy head of orange hair resting on her shoulder, a thought happens upon Cordelia that makes her ashamed of her current position. It's something that she should never admit to, even though she knows she'll bring it up to Sumia the next time she sees her.

Did their collective lust for Chrom really drive them both to have their daughters mimic the hairstyle his wife wears?

 _thirty-seven_

The first time Severa is able to sneak up behind her father and spook him, it's a fluke. He's busy snacking on something and isn't mentally in position when she puts her hand on his shoulder undetected. The second time, he knows she's coming but doesn't catch her in the act, surprising them both. And the third time, she is so stealthy that he remarks she could have killed him had she wanted to.

The act of actual thievery can be taught later. For now, Severa can sneak, and that's all she needs to know.

 _thirty-eight_

In theory, anyway. Cordelia is a master at noticing blurs of orange following her, and so she catches Severa hiding yards behind her in a matter of seconds. "Why are you trailing me?" she asks upon catching the girl. "It's not necessary and I'm not doing anything you need to worry about."

Honestly, she wasn't doing much of anything at all, just walking through a marketplace in Ylisstol, but Gaius had wanted to know what she was looking at. That's not something Severa can exactly tell her mother, though, and so she comes up with a lie: "I just wanted to spend some quality time with you while you were out, but didn't want to bother you with asking. You're mighty intimidating, you know."

"Sneaking around and following me is worse than swallowing your fears and asking me, I'm sure, but I can forgive you. Let's spend this day together then, since you've shown interest in the idea." That, accompanied with a real, genuine smile, is enough to convince Severa to drop the spying act for the day and tag along with her mother's adventure through the market.

Cordelia spends equal time admiring handmade bridal regalia as she does getting distracted by stands peddling goods for babies and children. Severa assumes it's because she's there, and her mother wants to show that she understand that there will someday be the existence of her in a child form, but she dares not bring up that assumption.

 _thirty-nine_

One of the stands is selling knock-off versions of the crowns belonging to the Exalt and his family. For the fun of it, Severa takes one off display and puts it on her head, joking about how putting it on makes her feel like a princess. Cordelia can't help but look at her daughter and imagine her wearing the real crown, its metal sitting atop a head of blue hair rather than the orange one presently before her.

 _forty_

Queen Consort Cordelia would look upon her daughters Lucina and Severa with a permanent grin on her face, proud that she was the mother to the crown princesses of the land, and they would look back at her with nothing but respect and love. And when Chrom would come in and see his family, the picture-perfect group they are, he would smile so big tears would form in his eyes and he would wrap them all in a loving embrace that no one could ever duplicate. His daughters may be his pride and joy, but his wife is his everything, and he is hers.

 _forty-one_

Severa tells Gaius what had happened when she put on the crown, how Cordelia had stared at her like she was seeing someone else entirely, and he frowns. "Sounds like she's having herself a fun time imagining things," he says after thinking on it. "Must be nice, losing yourself to delusions like that. You don't need a crown to be _my_ princess, though."

No explanation is needed, not after the word "princess" is thrown out; he knows that Cordelia is still hung up on Chrom. But why, Severa asks herself, is he still going through with marrying someone who is so distracted by someone else?

 _forty-two_

She doesn't need to ask that question, because she knows that she's the answer. How counter-productive, wanting so badly to split her parents when their knowledge of her existing is why they're getting together!

 _forty-three_

Cordelia seems even more distant than usual after that trip to the market, which is worrisome to Gaius, especially after what Severa had told him. "Wings, if you've got a problem, you really need to talk it out. I'm a strong man, I can handle hearing what you've got to say."

She blankly stares back at him for a moment or two, before shaking her head and offering a small smile in his direction. "Only problem I have is that I'm not feeling well today. Don't worry, if anything was wrong, I would be sure to tell you."

It's not reassuring, but what is there for Gaius to do about it? Pressing the issue is never a good idea, so he gives in to her skirting around whatever's going on. "Okay, but seriously. If there's anything…"

"There's nothing wrong, promise. It's all fine."

 _forty-four_

Gaius doesn't believe a word of what Cordelia says, even though he would never tell her that to her face. "What do we do about this?" he asks Severa the next time it's just the two of them around. "She's hiding something. Don't wanna get to the altar for her to leave because she's in love with someone else."

"She's always been in love with someone else," Severa replies, mimicking the way her father had said those last words. "Even when I was growing up, it was all about Chrom with her. You only stayed with her because I existed and you didn't want to lose me."

"Did it never occur to her that Chrom's a married guy? Seriously, I can say I've liked ladies but once they're taken I've backed off. Might be a thief, but I'd never steal from the love market." Gaius shifts his eyes up to the sky, watching a few clouds pass by overhead. "Then again, don't think she would either."

"Of course she wouldn't! She'd give her life for him, but she'd never try and convince him to be with her!" Tears well up in Severa's eyes as memories of her timeline come flooding back. "She promised me she'd come back but she didn't, because dying for Chrom was more important than me!"

There's not much he can do but envelop her in a hug and listen to her work out her tearful frustrations. He also passes along some words of comfort, although at the current moment he's not sure how helpful they are: "You're important to the both of us on this timeline, no matter what happened in your old one. I know I'd die for you, and I'm sure she would too, even if her heart doesn't lie with us."

He's crying as he finishes speaking.

 _forty-five_

The next time Cordelia goes to the market, she puts on one of the crowns for herself. Unlike when she was looking at Severa wearing one, she doesn't feel like it's meant to be. Her daughter is meant to be a princess, but her not a queen?

 _forty-six_

Maybe Sumia's course of action was right, and getting over Chrom when finding a new love is best.

 _forty-seven_

They're going to steal a crown and "coronate" Cordelia at the wedding, a joint decision made by Severa and Gaius as they decide what to do to make this end as happily as they can. But they can't just go to the stand and purchase a crown like normal people, not with the chance of the person running the place remembering Severa. Their only choice is to break the law and snatch one.

Planning this crime requires figuring out the best way to make their approach in the busy market without getting too much attention from the other people milling around. To do this, they have a father-daughter date to the market to scope out the scene of their future heist; while walking around, they catch a glimpse of a familiar head of red hair weaving through the crowd, and there is the temptation to trail her instead. Severa points out that following her will end in her noticing them, so it's not worth their time.

As much as Gaius would like to know what Cordelia is out looking at, he knows that Severa's right, and so they stay on their own path.

 _forty-eight_

They determine that stealing the crown will work best if they can distract the seller long enough for one of them to swoop in and grab what they need. Since Severa's the one who knows which crowns there are and which one Cordelia might like more, she's tasked with the thievery while Gaius does the distracting.

"But dearest father," she protests, "I have no idea at all how to exercise nimble stealing fingers like you do. We're so going to get caught because of me."

He thinks for a second before a light comes on in his eyes. "Right, never got to that part of the thief lessons. Meet me in the clearing tomorrow, and bring sweets. We're gonna do this."

 _forty-nine_

Cordelia's finding it hard to focus on wedding preparations when her mind is wandering so far from her list of things to be done. She thinks that a visit to the Exalt may be in order, not to confess her love to him, but rather to find some sort of mental clarity in regards to what is currently troubling her. To not raise suspicion, she chooses not to inform Gaius of this plan—although, as he's not there in the morning of the day she decides to do this, that's an easy thing to do.

 _fifty_

The whole day is spent with Gaius hiding something in his lap as he sits out in the open, while Severa tries to take whatever it is while trying not to be caught. Sneaking up on him is easy (she can say she's mastered that skill), but taking this thing from him is a lot harder than she'd like to admit. Failure is not an option here, not when she's learning to do this to help her mother achieve a dream of being royalty.

By the end of the day, Severa's succeeded one time, and that's good enough for her. After all, to pull off the actual heist, she only has to succeed once.

 _fifty-one_

The inside of the castle is a lot less homey when it's not bustling with Shepherds. Cordelia, being escorted by the older version of Lucina, feels sick to her stomach as she stands outside of the meeting room where Chrom and Robin are discussing important Ylissean matters. What if this is all a bad idea, and she's making a huge mistake by coming to the Exalt and his wife to talk?

Lucina notices that Cordelia's shaking where she stands and asks if she needs anything to help calm her down. She declines the offer, knowing that nothing aside from leaving would have a chance at calming her nerves, and the princess gives a nod. "Sometimes I too find myself worrying when I need to speak to my father. I can only imagine what sorts of anxiety this is giving you." The only response Cordelia can muster is a small smile, knowing that opening her mouth to speak only raises the chance of her losing control and vomiting all over herself and whatever stands before her.

 _fifty-two_

For all the vilifying of this woman she has done, Cordelia finds that Robin is not that bad at all. She greets the castle visitor with wide arms, but slips into a motherly and worried mode when she sees how pale and sickly said visitor looks. "Chrom, draw Cordelia a chair," she orders, and despite his regal standing, the Exalt does as he's told, pulling a cushioned chair from against the wall to give Cordelia some place to sit. Once she's no longer swaying in place, Robin gently touches her hand, a concerned look in her eyes. "Why have you come here today?" she asks, gently stroking the hand she touches. "Is it an urgent matter?"

Urgent isn't the word that comes to Cordelia when she trying to describe the situation, because it's been boiling for a long time and will boil longer still, so she shakes her head and swallows down her fear before breaking into a story beginning before Robin had ever entered any of their lives. There are points of audible gasps, accompanied with mutterings of how Chrom never knew anything of how Cordelia felt towards him, or of how this information explained why Robin had always been received with disdain. By the time the story is over, tears have been shed, hugs have been given, and Cordelia feels at peace, finally, for her life decisions.

 _fifty-three_

That evening when they're both home, Cordelia looks to Gaius with eyes full of true love and says, "I can't wait until we get married, so that we are finally each other's for as long as we may live."

"Huh, wasn't ever expecting to hear that from you," he replies, cocking an eyebrow, "but same to you. Even though I'm sure you're just settling on me since you can't have—" She silences him by putting a finger to his lips, smiling as she does, and once she pulls her hand back he's looking less skeptical. "What, you mean to say you're over him?"

"I've accepted that my place in life is with you, and that Chrom and I were never meant to be." Now her hands move to over her heart, lingering there for a second before tracking down her body, resting on her stomach. "Besides, Severa is your child, and I wouldn't dream of her any other way."

Gaius doesn't know if she's just being wistful or if she's trying to tell him something. Either way, this acceptance spells nothing but trouble for his and Severa's plan.

 _fifty-four_

Maybe it's because she's always been headstrong, or maybe it's because the blood of a thief runs thick through her veins, but Severa is dead set on stealing that crown, despite Gaius telling her it's not necessary. "It so is necessary! Until she gets to be the queen she so badly wants to be, she won't be happy, and I'm going to be the one to make my mother happy for once in my life!" Severa's voice trembles with excitement, the thrill of everything getting to her, and Gaius fears she's going to make a big mistake.

 _fifty-five_

There are mere weeks left until the wedding, meaning there's that long minus one day for Severa to pull off this heist. Each night, she tells herself that she's going to do it the next day, but she never does.

In her heart, she knows it's wrong to steal, but after all the planning that's been done, all the training she's gone through for this moment, simply buying the crown just doesn't feel right. Still, every night she tells herself that tomorrow's the day, but the day comes while the heist does not.

 _fifty-six_

When the wedding is three days away, Gaius asks Cordelia if she's ready for it, to which she responds that she isn't, a curious answer with all the time she's spent preparing everything. This, of course, is something that he questions further, but she gives no answers beyond a shaky smile and a reassuring word that she knows it will all go okay.

Knowing what he knows about Severa's plan, and now this about Cordelia not being ready, Gaius is now completely certain that things are going to get very, very ugly. And he has nothing that he can do aside from sitting back and watching it all unfold.

Unless…

 _fifty-seven_

There is one day left to the wedding, and Cordelia still hasn't found the dress she's going to wear as she walks down the aisle to marry the man not of her dreams, but rather the man who holds her heart firmly in his thieving fingers.

 _fifty-eight_

Her feet are only able to carry her so fast, but Severa knows time is no longer on her side. How could she have put off doing this to the last possible day? Her mother wants to be queen of Ylisse? She's going to get a replica crown and a reminder that she's setting herself up to live with thieves for all of eternity. A coarse laugh escapes Severa's lips as she skids to a stop, her destination within sight. If she's really going to do this on her own, she's got to hope that everything is seriously about to work in her favor.

One deep breath. Two checks to make sure no one's watching her. Three seconds of hesitation. And then she jumps seamlessly into the flow of traffic to make her approach undetected. Severa's inexperienced in regards to sneaking through crowds, and her senses are in overdrive as she tries to make sure everything's going to work out. A familiar face sticks out to her among passing people and, despite her every ounce of being telling her to keep moving towards her goal, she finds herself frozen in place, the crowd pushing her along in the direction she had been intending to go. She tries to break out of the mass, but someone trips her and she goes stumbling into a display of replica crowns that she knows all too well, the fake version of the princess' crown landing perfectly on her head.

The crashing of the display echoes a bit through the marketplace, a new sound amongst the chatter of the shoppers, and it catches the attention of all close enough to hear it. The stand where Cordelia is looking at tiny handmade clothes for children, clutching the bag which holds her wedding gown close to her body, is just near enough to the collision to hear it, but just far away enough that no real details can be seen.

Minus the telltale orange hair that Cordelia instantly recognizes as belonging to one of her family members.

 _fifty-nine_

"Severa, just what is going on here?" Cordelia asks, offering her daughter a hand up from where she's still leaning against a broken display. "You weren't trying to steal anything, were you? Your father did warn me to watch for you while out today."

"Of course he did," she mutters in response, ignoring her mother's hand to pick herself up. "Figured you suckered him into falling for your lies long enough to get him to spill the beans on this plan." She feels what's on her head and reaches up to touch it, scowling when she feels the cool metal under her fingertips. "Well guess what, _mom_? Thanks to you, there won't be a happily ever after for you or him! You never get to pretend you're a queen, and he's going to be stuck with a woman who loves someone else so much more!"

Cordelia takes a second to let the rage-filled words sink in before she attempts a reply. "I have no idea why you think there's going to be no happily ever after here. I love Gaius, your dear father, so much more than I could ever love—"

"Chrom," Severa finishes, watching as her mother takes in a deep breath and nods solemnly. "It's always Chrom with you. Here, there, everywhere! You just love him so much, but guess what! He'll never love you!" Each word is spit like it's venom, like they are trying to kill her if she doesn't get them out. "I'm sure he'd rather get with someone he's related to than you, that's how much he'll never love you!"

"Please, don't do this." Cordelia holds her bag a bit tighter to herself. "Severa, you've got it all wrong…"

"How can I have it all wrong when I grew up being raised by a mom who always wished I was an actual princess?" Plucking the crown off of her head, Severa throws it at Cordelia's face, the woman raising both hands to protect herself; in the process, the bag she's holding drops to the ground and Severa kicks it. "I came here to make sure you apologized for not staying alive for me and to save my father from suffering at your side. Doesn't that make you sick, knowing I came here to do that?"

As she drops her hands, it's clear that something has indeed made Cordelia sick, and it's not the words she's just heard. She falls to her knees and hunches over, clutching her stomach as she does, the sounds of heaving and retching filling a space where words should have been. It is while watching her mother go from a bothersome enemy to someone sick, miserable, and vulnerable that Severa realizes that maybe, just maybe, her anger and aggression have been misplaced. Maybe she's so wrapped up in settling scores from a nonexistent future that she's failed to care about how the present's events differ. Maybe she should have listened to Gaius after all.

 _sixty_

"So let me get this straight," Gaius says with the straightest face he can muster, although he's positively beaming on the inside. "The whole thing with the little shop getting partially destroyed was Sev's fault, but not because she was trying to steal something, right?" Both ladies nod, not looking at each other when they do. "And the reason you, Wings, were getting sick outside the scene of the crime was…?"

"It's not Severa's fault," Cordelia replies, finally looking over to her daughter. "But it _is_ Severa's fault."

"Not quite sure I follow, but okay. What's your reason for why you waited until today to get your dress for tomorrow?" The attempt Gaius has been making to keep a neutral faced is failing, with the corners of his mouth turning upward. "Wanted to wait and see if one of us would try spying on you?"

Cordelia shakes her head, eyes still fixated on Severa. "No, no, that is also simultaneously Severa's fault while not."

Rolling her eyes, Severa slams a hand on her leg and says, "Okay, seriously, don't blame any of this on me. I only fell into a stand, got really frustrated, and said some things. I didn't do anything else."

"Well then it must be a good thing that I'm not blaming _you_ , hm?" It's an innocent question, but the way Cordelia moves her hands to over her stomach as she poses it solidifies an answer to a different question entirely. Gaius breaks into a huge grin, with only a moment of panic where he isn't overjoyed at this prospect, and he shifts his focus onto Severa. They're both watching her for whatever reaction she may have, but her face has gone blank, unsure of what she needs to say.

Finally, after accepting that she's going to _exist_ in the current timeline, she chokes out, "Must be a good think you're getting married tomorrow."

 _sixty-one_

The ceremony goes off perfectly, without any weird fake coronations or other additions to ruin things. Cordelia looks radiant in her dress, one with a ribbon tied tightly around her middle to hide the slight bump she's beginning to gain (the entire reason she chose to wait so long to get her dress in the first place), and Gaius can barely control himself when he sees her for the first time. He has to be reminded to stay in place by the good minister Libra, who with his role as officiant could claim he had been in charge of the vast majority of weddings involving the Shepherds.

After the ceremony, there is much celebrating, of both the union and the news that the couple is already expecting what should be the present version of their future child. From somewhere in the crowd of guests, Severa smiles to herself, knowing that this marriage should go over a lot better than the identical one from her timeline.

 _sixty-two_

The months seem to fly by, as the family prepares to add another to their ranks. Not once is the Exalt brought up in any context aside from outward musings of if he had any child-raising tips worth sharing.

 _sixty-three_

As fate would have it, further solidifying that the timelines will stay relatively similar, newborn Severa and her older counterpart share a birthday, a penchant for scowling, and bright orange hair.

 _sixty-four_

Cordelia, looking upon the sleeping baby in her arms, says that she'll someday need to learn to become a strong warrior like her namesake and future self. That leads the older Severa to give a sly smile in Gaius' direction, which he is all-too-eager to return. The baby may be hours old, but her future as the best thief in Ylisse has already been decided on.

That's perfectly fine, as Cordelia knows that's how it's meant to be.

* * *

 **A/N: Written as a Secret Santa fill in a FE:A fic exchange. Hope everyone (especially the intended recipient) liked it. c:**


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